Hello

[Andrew MacLean]

Lou

Can I take that as a sign of approval?

Vic

Sorry about the distraction. I know that this must be really scary for you, in the middle of your studies to have to cope with wonky eyes. How good is your vision now, with/without lenses or specs?

Andrew

[Louise Pembroke]

Totally Andrew!

It really makes me mad that medical schools [and nursing schools] have come no further in supporting people with any health difficulties and seem all too keen to just dispose of anyone who doesn't possess perfect health. They should be looking at how to support you Vic, not just subjecting you to endless fit to practice assessments.
Grrr on your behalf

[Vic]

My bilateral vision corrected with glasses, on a very good day, is 6/12. The ungrafted eye is about 6/36 corrected I think, although that's by medic self-diagnosis as I haven't seen my consultant for a while. Uncorrected, bilateral vision is about 6/60.

Part of my reason for wanting to change hospitals to Birmingham is that I am very rarely in Bristol these days, making appts difficult as it involves a whole day off and train journey etc - and also that Bristol seem to be hugely lacking in appointments right now, especially for optometry. When i tried lenses pre-graft, I had an unfortunate experience in which they ended up rubbing off the corneal epithelium (cue eye casualty visit). At which point, in retrospect probably a little prematurely, they gave up on lenses completely. I was on the verge of sitting A-levels at the time so the emphasis was on getting a quick-fix solution. But I think trying an RGP lens on the grafted eye may be the next step forward.

It's hugely frustrating to be constantly fighting the med school rather than feeling I have their backing. Unfortunately the GMC puts the onus on them to root out any students who won't meet FTP before qualifying, and I think they get their knuckles rapped if they don't. So they're very quick to get on the defensive side.

I'm really interested in medical ethics as well - very diverse and deep subject. Being hijacked by insurance companies is madness - unethical ethics?!

Vic

[Andrew MacLean]

It's hugely frustrating to be constantly fighting the med school rather than feeling I have their backing. Unfortunately the GMC puts the onus on them to root out any students who won't meet FTP before qualifying, and I think they get their knuckles rapped if they don't. So they're very quick to get on the defensive side.

I'm really interested in medical ethics as well - very diverse and deep subject. Being hijacked by insurance companies is madness - unethical ethics?!

Vic

Vic I can only guess what this must be like for you. Keep fighting! I look foreard to debating ethics with you on the forum.

Andrew

[rosemary johnson]

One woudl like to think that insurance companies would want to make sure the medics they insured were practising ethically. And play a part, maybe, preventing unethical practices.
That's long way from defining "unethical" as "what we don't insure".
the question of it not being ethical to practise without insurance is another issue again.

grrrr.

Vic, have you ever thought of tryng scleral lenses? I know they look horrendous the first time you see them, but if corneal lenses rubbed the surface off the cornea, then a lens that clears the front part of the cornea that you look out might be worth a try.
(in my personal, non-medically-qualified scleral lens wearer opinion, of course!)

Rosemary

[Andrew MacLean]

You have hit it right on the head, Rosemary. It may even be irresponsible to pracitce without insurance in the modern world, just as no one would think of driving without insurance, so in sutiatuons where there is a potential for great harm it is right that p[ractitioners carry appropriate indurance.

But, I agree with you that for an insurance company to say that this or that procedure is not what they cover is not the same as this or that procedure is not ethically supportable.

Andrew

[Vic]

I've never thought about scleral lenses, no. Sounds a bit daunting - I am squeamish enough about putting anything in my eyes (ironic, I know...). But it sounds like they might be worth a try, definitely.

Andrew - I already have professional indemnity insurance, and I've not even qualified yet...

[Andrew MacLean]

Vic

I managed to get a scleral both in and out with relarive ease. It is well worth the try.

Insurance companies start making money on med students really early, don't they?

Andrew

[Louise Pembroke]

hey well done on getting the scleral in, hope this is a viable option for you Vic

[Amarpal]

Hi Vic.
I'm in my second last year of school, and am hoping to do medicine when I leave school. I was just wondering, do you ever find that keratoconus disrupts any of you work at uni? I've always been a little worried about doing medicine with such bad eye sight.
Thanks